Korean and Japanese Americans - Essay Example

Korean and Japanese Americans A Korean-American is an American of Korean descent, where as Japanese Americans are Americans of Japanese descent who traces their ancestry to Japan or Okinawa and are residents and/or citizens of the United States. Both these groups are classified under Asian -American group of people who have their roots in their respective countries with distinct culture, religion and social nature. This paper tries to compare/contrast Korean Americans and Japanese Americans in the United States. It also compares in what ways their histories and cultures have an impact on their personal, intrapersonal, social, and professional lives. History, Generations, Immigration and Length of U.S. Residency Koreans are one of the largest, fastest growing Asian groups in the United States (Jackson, 2006; library.ca.gov, N.D.a). During 1903-1905 came the first wave of Korean immigrants to the United States. Around 7,000 Korean came to Hawaii as farm laborers in sugar plantation. Within a few years 1,000 of them returned to Korea. About 2,000 of the early immigrants left Hawaii and came to the continental United States. In less than one century the number has grown to an estimated one million (Lee, 1995). Many more began to immigrate after the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965. As of 2000, ethnic Koreans living in the United States are largely concentrated in California, New York, Texas, Washington, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. Los Angeles, with its Korea town district, is home to the largest concentration of Koreans outside of Asia (Wikipedia, 2007a). The Census 2000 recorded an additional 151,555 Americans of part-Korean ancestry. There are 56,825 adopted children of Korean nativity and place of birth. (2000 US Census) 99,061 Koreans were adopted into the U.S. during 1953-2001. (Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, 2002) According to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2,157,498 ethnic Koreans live in the United States in 2003. However a large number of these are students or temporary workers and hence do not have permanent residence status. A number of US states have declared January 13 as Korean-American Day due to their impact and contributions to the American society (Wikipedia, 2007a). The population of Korean Americans is high when compared to the Japanese Americans. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest (at roughly 1,148,000, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity). Japanese Americans are a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans. The largest Japanese American communities are in California with roughly 395,000, Hawaii with roughly 297,000, Washington with 56,000, and New York with 45,000 according to the 2000 Census. In addition there are large numbers in Texas, Illinois, Oregon, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida. Each year, about 7,000 new Japanese immigrants enter United States ports, comprising about 4% of immigration from Asia; however, net immigration is closer to zero as some older Japanese Americans emigrate back to their homeland. Hence, there is a constant outflow and inflow of this population (Wikipedia, 2007b). On of the uniqueness of Japanese Americans community is that they have special names for each of its generations in the United States. The first generation born in Japan or Okinawa, is called Issei. The second generation is Nisei, third is called Sansei, fourth is Yonsei and fifth is Gosei. The term Nikkei was coined by Japanese American sociologists and encompasses the entire population across generations. Issei and many Nisei speak Japanese or Okinawan in addition to English as a second language (Wikipedia, 2007b). This shows the community is open towards learning and adapting to their new environment. Religion and Spiritually For Koreans, religion traditionally has been important. In fact their religiosity has become all the more evident in their American life. As they feel that there is a greater spiritual need in strange and difficult circumstances. Christianity and Buddhism are the two major religions Korean Americans are affiliated with. Among these the Korean Christians are by far the larger. It is estimated that about three quarters of the Korean population in the U.S. regularly attend church services, either Protestant or Catholic (Yu, 1990). Hence numerous Korean churches are present wherever there is a Korean population. Other than being the homes of spiritual devotion, often churches function as community centers providing a variety of non-religious services like Korean language classes and counseling sessions on various subjects related to American life. As the number of Korean Buddhist is less, Buddhist temples are much smaller in numbers than Christian churches. These temples are found in metropolitan areas like Los Angeles and San Francisco, offering services to devotees constituting about 2% of the Korean population. Confucianism is followed not so much as a religion but as a philosophy that regulates Koreans' way of thinking and living, although no teaching of the doctrine is publicly carried out in the community (library.ca.gov, N.D.a). When compared to Korean population in America, Japanese are more flexible towards religion. Japanese Americans are tolerant of all theologies and have not institutionalized religion to the extent that most Americans have. This does not mean they are not religious but very flexible and more pragmatic about religious views. In other words they take a more secular approach. It was not strange for a person to be both Buddhist and Christian. Most of the original immigrants were Buddhists or Shinto but substantial numbers became Christians partly out of feelings that being such would better help them in adapting to American society. Today with the increase in population, all of the major religious groups are now represented in the Japanese American community from Buddhists to the major denominations of the Protestant and Catholics church. The Japanese American churches have still managed to survive but after undergoing significant changes. For instance, Buddhist and Shinto temples now have taken some of the good features of Western churches - they have Sunday services, Sunday schools, etc. Most important, churches have become the focal points and major avenues for any kind of community involvement. They offer a variety of social services and are frequent rallying points for social and political action (library.ca.gov, N.D.b). Hence, it can be noted that for both Korean and Japanese Americans, churches and temples function as community centers providing a variety of non-religious services. Such activities have helped both these communities socially and also get well adjusted to the American culture. These have helped the communities to share their experiences and learn from each other. Family and Children Traditionally, in Korean culture, families were very large and several generations used to live under one roof. However today a nuclear family has become more common and customarily has two or three children. Koreans are strongly family oriented. It is common to see that family members are closely knit, sharing gains and losses, joys and sorrows, successes and failures. It is also not surprising to see that such close relations of family members are not restricted to the immediate family, but extend beyond to their friend circle, and include becoming part of social organizations and serving the community to which they belong. It is a collective believe among them that the family is the fundamental element of society, whose welfare and prosperity are nothing but the sum totals of the welfare and prosperity of each family in their community. Hence we can see good unity among these people. If we examine the Korean families it can be found that family life is based on a proper system. This system emphasizes obedience to superiors, that is, children submissive to parents, the wife to the husband, the young to the old, and so on and this forms the essence of Korean family culture, which is derived from Confucian teaching that is deeply embedded in the Korean way of thinking and living. Thus, the father is the head of the family and automatically assumes the authority and responsibility to manage it. The mother's traditional role is mostly confined to household tasks. However, in America, her role has become more and more important and diversified. As they pursue interests and activities beyond domestic boundaries, they come into contact with feminism and gender issues. Koreans love children. Children's happiness and well being is always the top priority in parents' hopes and endeavors (library.ca.gov, N.D.). Similar is the case with Japanese Americans. The original immigrants from Japan brought with them a strong sense of family and commitment to their children's welfare. Traditionally Japanese Americans are heavily influenced by Confucian values and emphasis on the family was always central. In fact the family was seen as the major social unit and survival weapon against a hostile world. Strong emphasis is put on family ties. Unity among the families is even seen in the immigrants. Traditional way of thinking is still followed among them. For instance, family continuity was strongly emphasized and children (especially the sons) were regarded as the carriers of the family name. Fierce hostilities against the Japanese before World War II maintained the outlook that children should be well educated and disciplined to adapt to this hostile world. These views have prevailed all through the history of the Japanese Americans. These were the contributing factors behind how they were able to rise from humble beginnings into the main stream of American society. Family continues to be highly valued but maintaining family ties does not have that strong sense of importance it once had. Divorce rates have been traditionally low but have been increasing in recent years (library.ca.gov, N.D.b). Korean and Japanese Americans have strong inclinations towards family and they consider families to be the basic structure within which a child will grow and get educated and secure his/her future. Both the community give due importance to family values that has supported the wellbeing and success of these community in a foreign country. Education It is important to note that parents will do all within their means and capabilities to secure a good education for their children. In olden days in Korea, education was accessible exclusively to children of the privileged class. They acknowledged that fact that education was the only means of becoming a government officer and succeeding in the world. Korean parents in America and in Korea still embrace the concept of education as the road map to success and to a prestigious position and a high standard of living (library.ca.gov, N.D.). Parent's expectations on their children's performances have not only produced excellent results of many Korean students in American schools but also poses frequent problems for underperformers, causing conflicts between parents and children. In can be noted that many Korean Americans have been exposed to and have adopted the laws of Confucianism. The Confucian rules of conduct are clear in many of the cultural practices of Korean Americans. For instance, Korean Americans have a tendency to display a strong respect for educated people. Parents look at education as a source for social mobility and it is a focus for parents wanting to improve their children's socialization. Such an importance to education has presented two or three of the annual recipients of the presidential merit scholarships, given to the two best high school seniors from each state, are Korean American (Jackson, 2006). Education is a key to success. And this is the strong belief among the Japanese American. Parents tend to instill their children with a deep value for higher education. As a result of such cultural ambition, children in this community are seen to score well on standardized tests and often exceed American student's averages. Most Japanese Americans obtain advanced college degrees. In United States it is often mistaken that Japanese Americans stereotyping as dominating the sciences in colleges and universities across the United States, while in reality, there is an equal distribution of Japanese Americans across academic disciplines in the arts and humanities in addition to the sciences. Japanese American educational prowess has resulted in the community to enjoy above average economic status. Unfortunately, with the exception of Hawaii, Japanese Americans still face racial discrimination in non-government and non-medical industries (Wikipedia, 2007b). Cultural Values Cultural values are of utmost importance to the Korean Americans. In fact no other ethnic group in the United States has retained so strong an attachment to the values and practices of their native culture as Korean Americans. Though far from their mother land, most Korean Americans can and do speak some Korean, eat mainly Korean food, and practice Korean cultural behaviors. According to a study conducted in 1998, it was found that 90% of Korean immigrants in Chicago spoke mainly Korean at home, and 82% were affiliated with an ethnic organization. Similar situations also prevail in other parts of U.S. where they have settled. Such kind of strong attachment to Korean values seen among Korean Americans is likely the result of several factors. For instance, Korea, particularly South Korea, is a homogeneous country. Unlike China or Japan, where several dialects and languages are spoken, South Koreans have only one language. Korean Americans tend to be mainly attached with Korean churches. The church provides a place for meeting other Korean immigrants and strengthens social ties to Korean culture. Above all they show their unity as most of them tend to work in Korean businesses and maintain interactions with other Koreans. In addition, working in small businesses increases ethnic solidarity as Korean store owners' work to compete together in the mainstream marketplace (Jackson, 2006). Japanese Americans have adapted to the changes in the American society. Cultural ideals also have undergone significant changes from those that the original immigrants brought from Japan. The Japanese as with other Asians were intensely influenced by Confucianism and this is reflected in their cultural ideals and practices today. In a way, these ideals and practices were quite compatible with American middle class values and quite consistent with the ideals of traditional Protestantism. For instance, they emphasis on hard work and discipline and on delayed gratification -- sacrifice now for the future. They have respect for authority and they believe in the fact that monetary success and social mobility are very important to pursue the American Dream (library.ca.gov, N.D.b). However, it can be noted that norms that guide present day interaction among Japanese American have their roots in Japanese culture. If we take into consideration the group sensitivity, it can be seen that the Japanese have always been more group sensitive than Westerners. When interacting with individuals they are always aware of the social context in which they are interacting the social status of the person they are interacting with, their age, gender, etc. Japanese Americans are more group conscious and pragmatic about preserving group ties. They are good at adapting new practices if it helps preserve the integrity of the group. In recent years the trends are changing and it can be noted that younger Japanese Americans are less sensitive to group pressure but they are still more reserved and passive. Indeed, many professionals such as teachers, social workers, lawyers, etc. working with them have to make a concerted effort to insure that they are expressing their true feelings (library.ca.gov, N.D.b). Conclusion Korean and Japanese Americans have established their strong network in America. They carry most of the traditional values of their ancestors and have modified some of them to suit their new needs. However, Korean families have strong inclination towards family, religion, and social relationships that has helped them to establish themselves. Japanese though they have strong family relationship, they have been more flexible religion wise. This has helped them to adapt themselves to the American way of living. Koreans have business establishments where they work together as a community and have their own uniqueness. This explains why the Korean community has so many social community and social organizations, which include Korean associations, business associations, professional societies, alumni associations, sports clubs, and family clan societies, to name just a few. Japanese are more towards jobs when compared to Koreans. Both Korean and Japanese communities have been successful in their own ways. References Jackson K. (2006) Korean Americans. Retrieved February 27, 2007, from http://www.sagepub.co.uk/upm-data/11755_Jackson_K_Entries.pdf Lee, L. (1995) Korean Americans. Marshall Cavendish Corporation, New York, 1995. p. 21 library.ca.gov, (N.D.a) Korean Americans - Cultural Commonalities. Retrieved February 27, 2007, from http://www.library.ca.gov/assets/acrobat/korean.pdf library.ca.gov, (N.D.b) Japanese Americans. . Retrieved February 27, 2007, from http://www.library.ca.gov/assets/acrobat/japanese.pdf Wikipedia, (2007a) Korean American. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Retrieved February 28, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_American Wikipedia, (2007b) Japanese American. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Retrieved February 28, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_American Yu, Eui-Young (1990) Korean Community Profile: Life and Consumer Patterns. Korea Times, Los Angeles, 1990. p. 28. Read More